It is known in the prior art to mount a floating-type cutter assembly of the type shown by the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,164 of Jerry C. Boone et al on the header of an agricultural combine, and to have such a floating-type cutter assembly cooperate with a gathering reel positioned forwardly of the cutter assembly. Floating cutter assemblies are usually employed in connection with the harvesting of crops wherein the seed bearing portions are normally close to the ground, such as soybeans, lespedeza or the like, in which the stalk must be cut close to the ground, or in connection with the harvesting of grains and other seed crops which have been beaten down by a storm (i.e., "down" crops) so that their seed bearing heads are lying close to the ground. The floating cutter assembly is adapted to "float" or change its vertical position in accordance with changes in the contour of the terrain over which the combine is moving, the floating cutter assembly following the undulations of the terrain, and also passing over any obstructions in its path, whereby to cut the stems of the soybean crop or the like at a substantially uniform level close to the ground, regardless of variations in the contour of the terrain such as undulations in the terrain traversed by the combine.
In most cases, agricultural combines having floating cutter assemblies mounted on the header of the combine are provided with gathering reels of the well-known "finger" (or "tine") type since the fingers or tines carried by this type of gathering reel are adapted to lift the crop such as soybeans, for example, or alternatively to lift a "down" crop of grain or the like which has been beaten down by a storm up into vertical position to facilitate cutting of the crop by the cutting elements of the floating cutter assembly. The tines of the tine-type gathering reel also serve to deposit the cut crop into the crop inlet end of the header, where the cut crop is conveyed to the thresher.
As shown by the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,164 of Jerry C. Boone et al agricultural combines having floating cutter assemblies have been provided with means for automatically adjusting the height of the header of the combine in response to a sensed departure of the vertical position of the floating cutter assembly relative to the header by more than a predetermined amount from the normal median vertical position of the floating cutter assembly relative to the header. Any change in the height of the header provided by the prior art automatic header height control just mentioned imparts a similar vertical adjusting movement to the gathering reel, since the gathering reel is mounted on and carried by the header. This prior art automatic header height control provides what may be referred to as a "gross" or coarse tracking relation of the vertical position of the gathering reel relative to the vertical position of the floating cutter assembly.
However, due to the "gross" or coarse tracking relation of the vertical position of the gathering reel relative to the vertical position of the floating cutter assembly provided by the prior art automatic header height control just mentioned, it has been necessary in the prior art to position the gathering reel above or alternatively ahead of the range of travel of the floating cutter assembly in order to avoid interference between the floating cutter assembly and the gathering reel. If the gathering reel were not placed out of the path of vertical travel of the floating cutter assembly as just mentioned, the floating cutter assembly in its upward movement could cut off the ends of the tines of the gathering reel, thereby causing damage not only to the gathering reel, but also very possibly causing damage to the sickle guards and cooperating reciprocating sickle forming part of the floating cutter assembly. Therefore, in the prior art relating to combines having a floating cutter assembly, the gathering reel carried by the header of the combine has been so positioned forwardly of the floating cutter assembly that the tines of the gathering reel and the components of the floating cutter assembly which provide the crop cutting action (i.e., the reciprocating sickle and the cooperating stationary sickle guards) do not contact each other at any time during the harvesting operation.
However, there is a considerable operating disadvantage to the prior art arrangement just briefly described in which the gathering reel is positioned outside of the range of travel of the floating cutter assembly, since this prior art location of the gathering reel away from the floating cutter assembly greatly reduces the effectiveness of the gathering reel to gather up the crop for cutting and for then depositing the cut crop into the header for conveying to the thresher. In the prior art location of the gathering reel away from the floating cutter assembly and thus further away from the opening of the header into which the cut crop is supposed to be deposited by the tines of the gathering reel, the gathering reel tines deposit the crop on top of the cutter bar and shields associated with the cutter bar structure instead of depositing the cut crop close enough to the header opening so that the momentum imparted to the crop by the reel tines will carry it on into the header. In the prior art arrangement, as more crop is cut and dropped onto the cutter bar, the cut crop starts to bunch and moves forward toward the gathering reel. The movement along the field of the combine crowds more and more cut crop into the bunch and then, due to the crowding of the cut crop, the cut crop moves up the shields and into the header, causing grain loss due to shatter (i.e., premature separation of the grain from the grain head) and undesirable simulated threshing, both resulting from the bunches of the cut crop being knocked back toward the header by the tines of the gathering reel.
The following United States patents are examples of prior art patents showing an agricultural combine having means for adjusting the vertical height of the header and of a gathering reel carried by and movable with the header:
______________________________________ Patent No. Name Date ______________________________________ 3,137,984 Shonkwiler June, 1964 3,228,178 Shonkwiler January, 1966 3,286,448 Moore November, 1966 3,312,048 Annat et al April, 1967 3,383,845 Hirsch et al May, 1968 3,417,555 Watkins et al December, 1968 3,568,420 Hofer et al March, 1971 3,574,990 Calder April, 1971 3,717,983 Reitz et al February, 1973 3,747,311 DeCoene et al July, 1973 ______________________________________